Santiago: Where do additional school fees go?

Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago has called for an inquiry on the recent increase in tuition and miscellaneous fees in 313 private colleges and universities nationwide approved by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).

READ: CHED allows tuition, miscellaneous fee hike in 313 private schools

In a statement released Sunday, Santiago said legislation is important to ensure that collected fees from the hike would be allocated and utilized appropriately.

“The Ched has issued guidelines for the use of funds derived from tuition increases, but we need to know how they ensure compliance with these rules,” she said.

READ: New tuition hike unjustified, misleading, says youth party-list

According to Ched memorandum No. 3, series of 2012, 70 percent of proceeds from tuition hikes should be channeled to salary hikes of faculty and staff, while the remaining 20 percent should be used in facility improvement.

While the said memorandum also requires Ched regional offices to monitor the compliance of schools with rules on tuition increase, Santiago is worried that present policies are prone to abuse.

“A school can always say that it increased the faculty’s wages, renovated a building, or bought new computers, but how does it support such claims?” Santiago said, calling for a clear breakdown of proceeds.

The senator also explored the possibility of requiring schools to submit documents that would prove their compliance with tuition hike standards, in addition to onsite inspections to be conducted by Ched.

“Making education more accessible to the public should be a priority, right up there, if not taking precedence over, the fight against corruption,” Santiago added. “Corrupt politicians are threatened by an educated public.”

Last May 19, Ched announced its approval of the proposals by 313 private higher education institutions to increase tuition and other school fees for the academic year 2015-2016. Tuition is expected to increase by P29.86 or 6.17 percent per unit, while miscellaneous fees are seen to increase by P135.60 or 6.55 percent.

In its statement, Ched said it based its approval on proper guidelines, adding that its approach to tuition hikes is “holistic.” IDL